Ice, toxicity, thermal-stress and cold-fracture management during cryopreserving encapsulation of specimens using controlled ice nucleation

摘要

A system for cryoencapsulating a natural or manmade biological specimen which is capable of enabling the nucleation of at least one of benign polycrystalline or vitreous ice in the specimen via the introduction of particulate nuclei and cryoprotectant into the specimen including: (a) one or more specimen cooling modules or stations; (b) one or more specimen particulate or particulate-former introduction modules or stations; (c) one or more specimen cryoprotectant-introduction modules or stations; and (d) a system control unit and necessary system utilities, wherein the system is to implement a combined process of specimen cooling, specimen particulate introduction or formation, and specimen cryoprotectant introduction, and wherein the introduced particulate is to favorably enable the nucleation of one or both of encapsulating polycrystalline or vitreous ice resulting in ice formation with at least one of reduced ice damage or cryoprotectant toxic damage to the specimen during cryoencapsulation or during eventual thawing relative to a particle-free process.